“Anodyne, the absence of pain” was held in the pavilion for severely mentally challenged patients of the Julio Endara Psychiatric Hospital in Quito, Ecuador, between 1998 and 2000.

All these people, abandoned at the doors of the center or found on streets or highways, come from low-income families, without access to a health system that provides them with medication or treatment.

Most of the patients did not have relatives who could help shed light on their past. The center has very limited resources, which makes it difficult to accurately diagnosis and properly treat the patients. However, they receive physical and occupational therapy from a group of volunteer professionals.

The center’s staff is small but extremely dedicated. Responsibilities are divided among many of the patients and tasks are assigned according to their capabilities, allowing them to feel useful and maintain a routine to help develop the few skills they have.

The center is visually striking; everyday functions are determined by their value system, its needs and satisfactions; the apparent suffering mixes with a number of challenges and joys, making it very difficult to know whether these experiences remain in their memories or if they are just not aware of anything.